Tomorrow's Kin: Yesterday's Kin Trilogy, Book 1

A deadly cloud of spores has already infected and killed the inhabitants of two worlds. Now the plague is heading for Earth, threatening humans and aliens alike. Can either species be trusted to find the cure? Geneticist Marianne Jenner is immersed in the desperate race to save humanity, yet her family is tearing itself apart. Siblings Elizabeth and Ryan are strident isolationists who agree only that an alien conspiracy is in play. Marianne's youngest, Noah, is a loner addicted to a drug that constantly changes his identity.

Downbelow Station

Pell's Station, orbiting the alien world simply called Downbelow, had always managed to remain neutral in the ever escalating conflict between The Company, whose fleets from Earth had colonized space, and its increasingly independent and rebellious colony worlds. But Pell's location - - on the outer edge of Earth's defensive perimeter - makes her the focal point in the titanic battle of colony worlds fighting for independence.

Quicksilver: Book One of The Baroque Cycle

In which Daniel Waterhouse, fearless thinker and courageous Puritan, pursues knowledge in the company of the greatest minds of Baroque-era Europe -- in a chaotic world where reason wars with the bloody ambitions of the mighty, and where catastrophe, natural or otherwise, can alter the political landscape overnight.

In celebration of the week-long, once-in-a-decade rite of Apert, the fras and suurs prepare to venture outside the concent's gates - opening them wide at the same time to welcome the curious "extras" in. During his first Apert as a fra, Erasmus eagerly anticipates reconnecting with the landmarks and family he hasn't seen since he was "collected". But before the week is out, both the existence he abandoned and the one he embraced will stand poised on the perilous brink of cataclysmic change.

Margaret J. says:"Searching for decent science fiction"

Publisher's Summary

In a world where the slightest edge can mean the difference between success and failure, Leisha Camden is beautiful, extraordinarily intelligent, and one of a growing number of human beings who have been genetically modified to never require sleep.

Once considered interesting anomalies, now Leisha and the other "Sleepless" are outcasts, victims of blind hatred, political repression, and shocking mob violence meant to drive them from human society and, ultimately, from Earth itself.

But Leisha Camden has chosen to remain behind in a world that envies and fears her "gift," a world marked for destruction by a deadly conspiracy of freedom and revenge.

THE DOGS BARK, BUT THE CARAVAN MOVES ON.This is divided into four books and after reading the first book, I thought I had found another go to author. Nancy won a Hugo for the novella by the same name and that must have been book one here. It was all about this new genetic engineering that could make your baby never need to sleep. Their were also other genetic enhancements to go with this, such as increased intelligence and looks, athleticism, etc... It was still in it's experimental stage. Only a few babies were getting it. The story is mostly about a girl that has this done to her and her growing up. Nancy covered all angles of the child growing up. How it affected her, her family and society. I loved the whole story and was really enjoying it. Then book 2 starts and probably what she added to the original novella.

I AM NOT ARGUING, MERELY CORRECTING YOUR FALSE STATEMENTNow the book is preachy, telling not showing, lots of talking, no depth to characters who come in and out willy nilly. It basically sucks. I stuck with it for a long time hoping it would go back to the great book it was in the beginning. With 7 hours left I gave up. If you can find the novella, read that, but skip the book.

THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HATERS

12 of 12 people found this review helpful

Rachelle

Dundurn, SK, Canada

23/09/09

Overall

"Pleasantly Surprised"

This book was kind of an impulse-buy for me, and I'm very glad I took a chance.

The premise of the book is very good, but the execution is absolutely wonderful. The tone of the book is a little melancholy, but is not overly dark or negative.

I haven't read any of Nancy Kress's books until now, but I'm looking forward to picking up the sequels that finish this trilogy.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

James Davenport

Bethesda, MD

08/06/09

Overall

"Great story, very well read"

This is the first Nancy Kress book I've encountered, and its brilliant. She asks the question "What would the world be like if some people did not need sleep, were much smarter than everyone else, and did not grow old?" The characters are multi-dimensional and compelling, and the plot engaging. Cassandra Campbell does an amazing job of telling the story, with excellent voices and a great understanding of the book. I highly recommend it.

12 of 14 people found this review helpful

B. McIver

San Angelo, Texas

09/07/10

Overall

"Don't waste your credit..."

This book had such potential, and actually started out fairly interesting. By the end of the book I found I really didn't care about any of the characters, and it had completely lost my interest. It's a shame as I think I could have been so much better with deeper character development and a meaningful story line. In the end, I found myself asking "What's the point?"

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

alison

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

18/02/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"A promising start"

The first two thirds of this book was pretty good. The premise was interesting and how The two societies of sleepless and sleepers grew and came into conflict was very well developed. However it is not very exciting and after 12 hours of listening I was just bored. I did not finish this book.

A similar idea of super intelligent and competent people and what they owe or do not owe the lesser mortals is more interesting and exciting in books by Ayn Rand

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

LoneGunman

17/08/10

Overall

"Atlas Shrugged for paste-eaters"

The central conceit of Beggars In Spain is "The elite will be persecuted jealously by proles but shall triumph in the end." No attempt is made, however, to explore *why.* There's a lot of talking *about* things happening and very few things actually happening... and one must accept beyond a reasonable doubt that the ability to work an extra eight hours a day will lead to utter and total world domination in the space of a generation.

8 of 10 people found this review helpful

Frank

15/08/09

Overall

"Frank"

Ayn Rand could have ghost-written this book. Plausible, compelling sci-fi with a few interesting characters, but at times the narrative is preachy and heavy-handed. The plodding narrator bears much of the blame.

8 of 10 people found this review helpful

Mike

Plano, TX, United States

15/11/11

Overall

Performance

Story

"Loose no sleep over this one"

Rapidly degenerated into a sea of aimless names (they could not be called characters) bobbing in and out of the story at random - an anonymous photo album - notable for its absolute lack of action - a monolog on the family tree all the way to the droning, sleepy end.

6 of 8 people found this review helpful

Ullanta

Claremont, CA, United States

29/04/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Good, recommended, though at times iffy!"

This was a very listenable audiobook with some interesting ideas. It certainly held my attention and kept me involved. At the same time, it constantly seemed to be channeling other, similar books. Most frequently, "Atlas Shrugged", with many long-winded and somewhat repetitive passages about makers and takers, in the one-dimensionality of many of the characters, and in the (SPOILER?) decision of the makers to separate themselves (unlike Ayn Rand's, however, Kress does not seem to making a political statement with one "side" clearly in the right; this is a much more balanced examination of the societal split). Then we have similarities to Ender's Game, and other books about super children. And other similarities that have drifted from my mind... sorority stories? Animal Farm?

And yet it remains readable and enjoyable. The premise is interesting. I often wished that the author had limited the extra abilities of the sleepless to just not sleeping, and gone into more detail about that. I mean, the brief touching upon parents who couldn't deal with babies that never slept was a glimpse into what could have been a really fascinating exploration; and I would have liked to see more of the psychological effects on adults of not sleeping - of no downtime, of no escape, of solitary nights, etc. In the book it's pretty much all up side, and augmented by several other "super powers"... I'd rather have seen more detail and more realistic balance of benefits and deficits of sleeplessness.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Greg Bloch

12/06/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Boring, overwrought wanna be Atlas Shrugged."

Every white male character is neutered or misogynistic, so all that are left are female victims as leading characters who vary as genetic engineered heroines and villains over the course of this dragged out attempt to give super powers to whiny women cursed with never needing to sleep. An absolute nightmare and 16 hours of garbage.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Report Inappropriate Content

If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.